This is PM Modi’s eighth visit in nine months to Gujarat and the fourth

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in a public meeting that the Narmada river waters were a gamechanger for the aam aadmi in the region, his entire cabinet present at the function at Botad in the water-parched Saurashtra region smiled. Because all of them unanimously believe, and rightly so, that the only gamechanger in Gujarat is Narendra Modi. PM Modi remains the biggest rockstar for the BJP. And he actually changed the game. The Patidar agitation, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress received their biggest jolt with Modi’s meticulously- planned visit. The visit consolidated BJP’s traditional middle-class vote bank and gave hope to the tribals and farmers in the State, who of late have been disenchanted with the BJP.

PM Modi strategically spent over 16 hours in Surat. Though his oratory, especially which in Gujarati is extraordinary, PM Modi chose not to address a public meeting in Surat. Instead, he silently “assessed” the public response through a 12 kilometre long road show in the diamond city. Over 10 lakh people including the youth, the women -- especially an impressive strength of burqa clad women -- waited for him on the route as he took 115 minutes to cross the stretch that normally takes 15. At 58%, Surat houses the highest number of migrant population in India and puts even Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi behind. Surat is also the hub of the growing anti-BJP wave and activity in Gujarat. Besides harbouring the strongest ever Patel movement for reservation under the leadership of Hardik Patel, Surat also has been the strongest bastion of growth for the Aam Aadmi Party.

Surat borders the tribal belt of Gujarat which the Congress has been trying to barge into. Surat was the place where national BJP president Amit Shah was booed away from stage last year. So Surat’s choice for PM Modi was calculative and strategic. PM Modi, a seasoned politician who knows public pulse smartly avoided addressing a public gathering; instead he opted for a road show. Political observers say that after this Surat visit, a motivated BJP in Gujarat will work towards its goals to bag 150 0f the 182 Assembly seats. Gujarat goes to polls in December and BJP is hopeful of a fifth consecutive win in the State that is its model state. Gujarat was the first State in India where BJP clinched a majority in 1995.

However, last year-and-a-half has been difficult for the BJP and the party also had to change its chief minister. Anandiben Patel, who had been alleged to have been unduly favouring her daughter Anar and her corruption had to be replaced as the Chief Minister. This had given hope to the Aam Aadmi Party, Hardik Patel’s Patidar Andolan, Alpesh Thakor’s OBC Manch and the Congress but in just one visit, PM Modi left all his detractors gasping. PM Modi inaugurated a charitable trust run hospital and a gem park in Surat, both owned by Patels. There could have been no better method to crush the growing Patel unrest in Gujarat. PM Modi made himself visible with the richest and most influential Patels of the world at these functions. The hospital, a multi- superspecialty and research centre, had over 350 Patels from across the world under the aegeis of Samast Patidar Arogya Trust attending the inauguration and showing solidarity with Modi and BJP and in that order.

At the other function, which was the inauguration of a diamond factory, PM Modi hobnobbed with over 15,000 people out of which over 500 happened to be the richest diamond traders and merchants across the globe. The diamond factory is owned by the Mumbai-headquartered Hare Krishna group. The Hare Krishna group has a massive spread in the world. It exports diamonds to over 75 countries and employs over 6500 people in Surat alone. It is headed by Savji Dholakia, a Patel who ran away from his water parched village in Amreli, Saurashtra for better fortunes when he was 13. He created an empire that recorded a turnover of over USD 1100 million last year. At both, the Kiran Hospital and H K hub, the entry was by invitation only. PM Modi also announced a visit to Israel, another diamond hub at Surat which is significant because most Surat diamond merchants have an Israel connect.

“By choosing Surat, PM Modi, in a colloquial manner, killed several birds with one stone,” a senior BJP MLA from Surat told Mirror. Surat was the first place when national BJP president Amit Shah was booed away in the wake of a growing Patel unity under the leadership of Hardik Patel, a 23-year-old who has begun a movement demanding reservations for the Patels. The AAP also is the strongest in Surat. Hardik Patel has been demanding reservation for Patels but PM Modi strategically attended and presided over programmes that displayed Patel affluence. When Patels are the richest community in Gujarat and are doing so well socially and educationally, why do Patels need reservations, questioned Rutvij Patel, who heads the BJP youth wing in Gujarat. Displaying extraordinary energy and enthusiasm, the PM addressed six public meetings in a span of less than 24 hours in south Gujarat and Saurashtra and connected with over 18 lakh people.

“I was in a dilemma whether to speak in Hindi or Gujarati, but then, since you have done such a big job, I decided to speak in Hindi so the country knows,” he told the Patels at the hospital launch, giving a national recognition to the rich community. PM Modi hobnobbed with the richest and the poorest in the State. After interacting with diamond merchants, he addressed the marginalised tribals and inaugurated a part of the Rs 12,000 crore irrigation project to pump Narmada water in over 100 dams of the parched Saurashtra region.

MODI WINS OVER SURAT, MENTIONS ISRAEL VISIT

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the people of diamond city, told them that he was going to Israel on their behalf. While Surat is a large diamond trading hub, Israel is a world player in producing cut diamonds. “I’m soon going to Israel, in fact I’m the first Prime Minister to go to Israel, and I’m going there on your behalf. You have trading relations with that country,” said Modi, who was speaking after inaugurating a hospital in Surat.”

His July visit to Israel is billed as historic. He is expected to visit the country on his way back to India from the G20 summit in Hamburg in the second week of July. It being seen as a significant step in openly embracing a relationship that his predecessors promoted but carefully avoided public displays. Last week, Modi had tweeted, “Khag Sameach Khaverim”. In Hebrew, it is used as a greeting for the holidays. Two days later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had responded by tweeting, “Thank you, my friend, for your kind holiday greeting. The people of Israel eagerly await your historic visit.”

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